The Things You Find
by gatewatcher
Summary: Booth makes a comment that upsets Brennan. Rated T just to be on the safe side.
This is a short episode tag to "The Finder" in Season 6. In re-watching it the other day, I found a comment Booth made odd since it followed the episode where they burned the dates they thought they might be ready to be together. I realize he was teasing, but thought it could be made a bit angsty . I tried to stick to canon, but did not watch another time to make sure quotes were 100% correct. ….. it ran from memory. I hope this makes sense…..my muse was a bit quirky tonight. She wouldn't stop bugging me about this…. So, here you go. LOL

Nope- still don't own "Bones" nor DB…..just playing with them for a bit. No infringements intended. I'll put them away when I'm done. Gatewatcher

The Things You Find

Returning from the crime scene in the swampy Florida Everglades, Booth got this wild idea to head to a little bar while they were there and initiate the assistance of an old Army acquaintance, Walter "The Finder" Sherman. Booth explained to Brennan that Walter had this magic 'finding power'. She was skeptical about this power, but went along anyway to see what Booth had in mind. When they arrived, Brennan noticed that they didn't exactly appear to be the best of friends. They fought like teenage schoolboys.

"Cold beer while you wait?" asked Ike, Walter's friend and bartender.

"Wait for what?" Brennan inquired.

"For the boys to get reacquainted", she retorted clinking her beer bottle to Bren's.

Twenty minutes later, they were all seated at a table discussing the missing treasure and the piece of the map.

Looking at Booth, Walter blurted out, "Are you two sleeping together?"

Each answered with a resounding, "No."

Adding quickly he asked, "Will you sleep with me?"

Scoffing a little, Booth held up his hand to cover his mouth and hide it from Bren and replied, "You know what? You find the chart, maybe you got a shot" to which Brennan aptly smacked his arm. "What? Sorry."

On the plane ride back to D.C., Brennan looked out the window absentmindedly while Booth napped. The more she thought about what he said, the more she found that it began to bother her. She turned to look at his sleeping form and wondered why he would suggest such a thing to a perfect stranger, at least strange to her. _He didn't seem to be overly fond of the man. Why would he think I would want to have intercourse with him? I thought we were moving forward towards an 'us',_ she mused. _Is he changing his mind about us?_ The more she thought, the more she became upset. She turned back towards the window and closed her eyes, covering them with her hand.

Eventually she put on her game face and woke him up for the decent. She was overly quiet on the drive back to her apartment. When he pulled the SUV over to let her out he asked if she was alright.

"You've been really quiet. Is everything okay?"

Smiling, she glanced back at him at said, "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow."

A few days later, Walter showed up in Bren's office with her lost science fair award and an added newspaper article with a photograph of her with her mother. She was absolutely astounded that he was able to locate the missing memory. Walter was hoping that the find was impressive enough to convince her to go out with him, however, she paid more attention to the article than to him standing there.

"So….. do you want to go out sometime?" he asked.

"What? I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked without looking up at the man.

He figured he was out of luck, so he left her alone in her office shaking his head, " _They are so sleeping together_ " he thought to himself. _"Lucky SOB_."

By the time Bren noticed he was gone, she couldn't recall if she had thanked him or not. She was so thrilled she called Booth to share that she had her award back.

"I still don't believe it is magic, but I can't believe he was able to find this", she gushed.

"'I'm glad he found it for ya Bones. Did he ask for a reward from you?"

"No, I don't think so….. I'm not even sure I thanked him before he left. Why do you think he'd ask for a reward?"

"Well, he did ask you to sleep with him?" he teased.

She, however, did not take it as teasing. "I have to go, Booth", and she hung up the phone. There it was again. "What kind of person does he think I am … does he not realize…..?" Getting up from her desk, she decided to spend the rest of the day in Limbo.

When she hung up so quickly, it caught Booth off guard. "I find that sometimes I just don't get her….". Looking at the phone oddly, he hung up and went about his day.

As usual, after solving the case, Bren and Booth were at the Founding Fathers sitting at the bar having a celebratory drink. Booth had already explained why he didn't like Walter.

"I think Walter did look the other way" Bren said to a surprised Booth.

"How? He arrested me in front of my newborn son."

Explaining her thinking, Booth still told her that he didn't like the guy and she wasn't going to change his mind. Agreeing to disagree, they clinked their bottles and took a drink.

Sitting her bottle down, Bren sighed heavily and peered up at Booth.

Booth noticed her demeanor and quietly asked, "What is it, Bones? You have been acting odd for a few days now and I know something is bothering you."

Deciding she couldn't stand not knowing any longer, she asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You know you can", he smiled.

"I find that I am confused by something you said the other day to Walter when we first went to his bar to ask for his help."

"What's' that?"

"When he asked if I would sleep with him, you told him he might have a chance if he found the treasure. Did you think I would sleep with him? Did you want me to sleep with him?" She decided to stop there and just looked at Booth awaiting his reply.

Booth looked at her seriously for a minute and smiling he grabbed her hand and leaned in closer to her. "Is that what's been bothering you? You thought I wanted you to sleep with Walter?"

"Yes. I just didn't know why you would think I would want to."

"I'm sorry, Bones. I was teasing….. not very funny, though. No, I did not want to you sleep with Walter. I knew, was hoping, he wasn't your type at all. I was … I don't know what I was doing. I would have really hated it if you had taken him up on his request."

"Oh. I thought maybe you had changed your mind about us trying to be together some time and you were pushing…." she stated without finishing her sentence. "….or I wondered if you thought I was that kind of person."

"I didn't think, Bones. Of course I still want us to try to be together. I never thought you would sleep with him. I didn't mean to make you think those things. I really am sorry."

Shaking her head, she swallowed and said, "Okay. Because, you know, I don't want to do anything that would make you think that I don't want us to keep trying or would prevent us from moving toward….."

Interrupting her, he smiled and said, "Me, too". Then he leaned in closer and kissed her softly on the cheek.

Closing her eyes, she relished the feel of his warm lips on her cool skin. It ignited a feeling deep in her soul that she felt run through her entire body.

When she opened her eyes, she was looking directly into his sultry chocolate ones. She knew she could lose herself in them and never come out.

"Promise of things to come", he whispered.

Finding that she was feeling better about the whole situation, she asked him if he wanted to order dinner. They decided to order take out from the Thai restaurant and then head to his apartment to watch a movie. Holding out his hand, she took it and rose from her seat. They walked out of the bar with her arm looped through his with his promise buzzing through her head. She sure hoped that fulfilling that promise was coming soon; she was finding it harder and harder every day to keep her hands off of him.


End file.
